Ideas
by KrossWinter
Summary: Plot ideas that may or may not turn into their own stories.


An idea I had for a story, may be sued to restart **Stepping Out of Shadows**.

Disclaimer - Don't own Harry Potter.

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The buttress above my head exploded as a stray reducto slammed into it.

I gave an exhausted chuckle as I kept my back against the column, the ruins around me offering ample cover. If I took the now redesigned buttress as an indicator, they had an idea of where I was. Couldn't let that keep on, so I cast a disillusionment charm on myself, and crawled to the wall that was nearby.

"We know you're here, Potter!" one of the aurors shouted. Good, yes; keep shouting. Let's me know where you are.

Casting a voice projection charm on myself, I called out, "Well of course I am, don't want to be a bad date."

I was answered with a redcuto slamming into a column on the other side of the ruins. They were confused now, didn't know where I was. Good, good, now I just needed to figure out which aurors I was facing.

I crawled further along the wall, my leg still aching from the blast earlier in the battle. There was probably some shrapnel in it; it was moments like these I wish I knew combat medical magic.

Note to self: Learn combat medical magic.

"Just surrender peacefully, Potter, you won't get out of this in one piece otherwise," a different auror shouted. This one was calmer sounding than the previous voice.

"Oh dear, you're going to cut me up into little bits and turn me into sushi?"

This time an incendio crashed into the wall, further past where I was. That gave me reasonable confidence in thinking Rubarn was here. Man did have a penchant for fire spells.

"That you Rubarn? Always did like playing with fire." I shouted, seeing if they would take the bait. An incedio lit up the column where I had once been, answering my question. "I'll take that as a yes. How's your wife?"

I didn't receive an answer, though it was comforting to know that there was at least one auror whose patterns I knew.

"Shut it, Potter. We're going to find you, and this time you won't escape; we've got anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards up," a different voice shouted, this one sounding vaguely familiar as well.

"That you Percy?" I asked, leaning against the portion of the wall that had been blasted by Rubarn's incendio, they might not check here again. "Surprised you came out into the field. So, just how many of you are there?"

This time, it was a voice that sent chills down my spine that answered me; a voice that had ringed in my ear every time its owner slammed me into the ground.

"Enough that you won't get out alive if you run, Harry," Moody said, his tell-tale wooden leg marking his position, "All the other death eaters are dead, captured, or gone. You're the only one left."

I gripped my wand harder, a grimace finding its way over my face. My life just got a bit more complicated for the time being, "Well, you know how it is; first in, last out."

"Just surrender peacefully, Harry, and this will get a lot easier," Moody called out, copying my projection trick. Bastard figured me out, "No one else says anything; you'll give away your positions."

I threw an area flare spell over my shoulder, taking the opportunity to run to a different cover. Disillusionment was useless against Moody's eye. Now in new cover, I yelled, "So, hypothetically speaking, let's say I surrender. What happens, eh? Azkaban? Grimmauld Place? Ooh, maybe Hogwarts dungeon."

"Grimmauld place. Azkaban wouldn't work; Voldemort wouldn't let you stay long."

"Yes, well, that's true. Bugger doesn't like the idea of me someplace I'm not easily accessible."

"Surrender, Harry. You're surrounded. Don't make your life any more complicated by dragging this out."

I snorted, "My life was perfectly peachy until you lot showed up. Is it just the Ministry I'm staring down here, or is Dumbledore's little band of misfits here as well?"

Moody was silent, but sent up a flare, lighting up the entire area. Cursing, I ducked down low behind the cover I was using, trying to stay in the shadows. I needed to set up a sight line. Taking a look at my surroundings, I saw a broken stone bridge on a level above me, providing a sight line for the entirety of the ruins.

"Your life got complicated when you took that mark on your arm, Harry," Moody growled out, his distaste for that action of mine showing through, "You could've been great, done great things, kid."

"Yes, well…" I pursed my lips, "If you take what I did as an option away, it didn't leave me very many favorable things." I cast a silencing charm on my feet, moving closer to the stairs near the back of the ruins, "Be killed by the Dark Lord. Not very fun sounding, but at least he was honest about what he'd do. Azkaban, because the Ministry doesn't like what I do for a hobby. Or Dumbledore's yes-man, which would eventually result in my death. Throw in becoming part of the Dark Lord's band of merry men, well…" I gave a silent cheer of victory as I made it to the stairs. Why did this place have to be surrounded by blasted walls? Could've escaped a lot easier otherwise.

"Your family would've helped you," some random voice called out. My blood boiled at the mention of my family, but Moody cut me to the chase.

"Stay still and stop talking Tonks!" Moody shouted, obviously directed at the auror, despite how his voice seemed everywhere.

I took a deep inhale of breath and made my way higher in the ruins, "Got yourself a new protégé, Mad-Eye? Doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut."

"She's new."

"Yeah, I can tell. Listen up, protégé. Lily doesn't know what to do around me. James and can't I relate at all. Aaron is an attention hog, pig-headed, bully, Gryffindor, and Boy-Who-Lived. We're not exactly the textbook definition of a functional family." I said, finally making it to the bridge, the atrium of the ruins directly below me. Going into a prone position on the destroyed bridge, I scanned the area beneath me, the dark of the night doing little to impede my sight.

There were eight figures roaming around below me, the tell-tale red robes giving away six of the figures as aurors. So there were aurors and member of the Order of the Phoenix. A joint mission, huh. Then it would actually be safer to assume that the aurors present were members of Dumbledore's group as well. So, this wasn't a Ministry mission. I hoped.

"So there are at least eight of you, eh?" I called out, keeping up the projection charm, "Honestly, I'm a little miffed. Dumbledore thinks that's all it'll take, eight?" I paused for a second, "Well, I guess you count as three, Mad-Eye, so eleven, but nevertheless!"

I scanned the area beneath me, keeping an eye out for Moody's hunched form. The others I weren't too worried about, I could toss them around like novices, but Moody knew how to fight me. I didn't see him directly beneath, so I flung another flare over the atrium, lighting up the ruins and the night sky.

"Ah, so there are more of you in the stonework, I see," I said, catching a glimpse of two more figures behind some columns. They were sweeping the ruins from the back, leaving people to guard the areas that they had cleared.

"Mad-Eye, you're making this easy for me," I said, leveling my wand at one of the columns, "You know better than to split up your numbers."

"I also know that against you, moving in groups is dangerous." Moody called back, his position still unknown to me.

"Yes, well…that's true," I said before I fired off a reducto at the column one of the figures was behind. The spell slammed into the column, sending it falling forward.

"Jenkins!" called out Rubarn's voice, but no one moved to the fallen pillar, Moody's voice stopped them.

"Nobody move! Wands at the ready, protegos on your lips. CONSTANT VIGILANCE, did anyone one of you idiots see where the spell came from?"

The people below didn't answer, which told Moody everything he needed to know.

"Eyes open, you bats! Something looks off, blast it! He's been in the area longer than we have, he might have had time to rig the area." Moody's voice rang out.

Huh. I wished I had, actually; would've saved me a lot of trouble.

"Harry, don't go using any of that dark magic of yours; I'll see it from a mile off." Moody said, his voice everywhere, "We don't have anything concrete on you aside being a rotten Death Eater, there's still time to turn."

I had to hold in a scoff, Moody's words running through my head again, "You and I both know that me being a Death Eater is enough in everyone's books to warrant Azkaban. Rather, what Azkaban used to symbolize." I said, scanning the ground again. The figures had listened to Moody's words, and hadn't moved an inch. "And don't tell me how to use my magic, I'll use it the way I like."

"Harry – "

I tossed another flare into the atrium before leveling my hand at the figure behind one of the columns. The flare was still in the sky, keeping Moody blinded, which was exactly what I needed. I clenched my fist, and I saw the body crumple to the ground.

"Pines is down!" shouted the girl's voice, Tonks is what Moody said I think.

Moody's growl rang through the air, "Tonks, check his pulse. The situation turned for the worse. Harry, I'm bringing you down tonight. What's the word, Tonks?"

The girl answered her teacher back, her voice unsteady, "…Dead. Skull is crushed. Spine is crushed. Windpipe is crushed."

"Still got it in me," I mocked, trying to draw Moody out, "Tonks, wasn't it? Like what I did there?" I said, now having a firm eye on the woman who checked the body. They all were still looking around their immediate surroundings – they didn't have a clue where I was.

Her voice was still shaken, but held a conviction in it, "You'll rot for this, Potter, I'll make sure of that. And I'll personally deliver those glasses of yours to Pines' son."

"Right," I said sarcastically, "Anyone tell you that you're kind of annoying?"

Tossing a reducto at her feet, I made her fall back. The moonlight gave me a clear view of her face; Shaken, scared eyes on a heart shaped face with pink hair. It would be interesting to see what she was like after Moody finished with her.

"A couple of inches higher for me, and that would've taken your head clean off." I said, watching her swivel her head wildly.

"Try that again Harry, and I'll return the favor on your leg." Moody called out. I really wish he wasn't copying me right now; I was getting paranoid that the bastard was behind me.

I was really tempted to mess with him, I really was, "You know better than to tell me not to do something."

"I also taught you to keep your head in the fight; not to toy with your enemy," Moody said, before realization came in his voice, "You're stalling."

I grimaced, my mind flickering back to the meeting prior to the mission. Moody couldn't leave yet, "Or maybe I know that I'm in a spot of trouble and I might as well have a bit of fun. You know, go down swinging."

"If you were going to go down swinging, then half of them would be dead and I'd know exactly where you are, boy."

Well, at least he didn't know where I was yet.

"Tonks, Kingsley, Rubarn. Everyone else, pull back," Moody said, his voice demanding, "Get back to Dumbledore, tell him we might have a situation developing."

I narrowed my eyes as I felt the anti-portkey wards come down, and several figures started to disappear. This was not going according to plan. I tossed another flare, and started crushing figures that I saw reaching for portkeys and attempting to escape. I was too slow though, more than I would've liked got away. Did manage to take a good three or four down though.

"Got you."

I felt the wand press into the back of my neck, and the sound of the wooden leg against the stone. Moody must've been checking all the high points in the ruins, trying to get me distracted enough that I would give away my position.

"Got me," I sighed.

"Constant vigilance, Harry. Wand on the ground, slowly. Hands where I can see them," Moody said, the voice projection charm cancelled, "On your knees. Slowly."

Having no choice but to comply, I put my holly wand down. I needed to get a spare, desperately. I slowly pulled myself up to my knees, facing the ruins beneath me. I put my hands behind my head and straightened my back.

"So how you been, Mad-Eye?"

"Better than you're going to be. Dumbledore has been chasing you down for quite some time. He's not going to be gentle in trying to get answers. Tonks, grab his wand."

I sighed, catching a glimpse of the young auror from the corner of my eye. Her eyes were filled with anger, tinged with fear.

"Do I instill fear in you, Auror Tonks?"

I heard an intake of breath from her, and I barked out a laugh, "I'm harmless, love. Nothing I can do from here; Old Uncle Mad-Eye will keep the big bad snake away." I stopped my mocking when I felt the wand dig deeper into my neck.

"Was this the only operation that Voldemort had planned tonight?"

"The Dark Lord has many plans, many of which don't occur. How am I to know what he chooses to follow through on or not?"

Kingsley growled at the same time as Moody, and I felt Tonks level her wand at me, "You're one of his lieutenants. You have some level of knowledge above the rank and file."

"Well, I certainly wish you luck in your endeavors against the Dark Lord."

"He's playing with us!" Tonks shouted, clearly frustrated.

"You know love, you need to relax a little. All that shouting can't be good for you. Ever think of taking up a hobby?"

I felt Moody tense behind me, "Quiet, Potter. That's enough out of you. Kingsley, we're taking him back to base."

"Oh wonderful, a field trip!"

Moody had apparently had enough of my mocking, sending me unconscious with a stupefy to the neck.

Wonderful. I, Harry James Potter, Death Eater, seventh year Slytherin, and all around amazing guy, had been captured by the enemy formally known as the Order of the Phoenix.

Joy.


End file.
